Cruise Control
by darcangell23
Summary: Melinda finds herself trying to locate something very important to a little girl who drowned when on a cruise when the ship struck another ship and sank.  Will she be able to help her?  Please R&R.  First Ghost Whisperer fic.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Whisperer, I do not know Jennifer Love Hewitt so please don't ask me for her autograph.**

_"Find it, please find it. I can't find it, and I can't go without it. Find it, find him, find teddy!"_ Melinda Gordon shot up in bed having just had a very strange dream. She was sure it had been another premonition, this one involving a child, a little girl. She could tell that from the shadow's form but she didn't know what the child looked like. In the dream, the child had been asking her to find something and she was sure the something had been a teddy bear. After all, the last thing she remembered this little girl saying before she woke was "Find teddy." Surely that indicated a teddy bear right? Melinda wasn't sure. Just because the child had said teddy didn't mean it was necessarily a teddy bear. It could be another stuffed animal named Teddy or it could even be a family member like a brother or something. One thing was for sure, Melinda was not going to come to conclusions before she had more information.

Suddenly, the sound of running water could be heard from the bathroom. Curious as to what might be going on, Melinda chanced a glance at Jim who was still sound asleep and quietly slipped out of bed. She tiptoed over to the bathroom where she found the door slightly ajar. She could see a slit of bright light through the small crack. She slowly placed her hand on the door and pushed it open.

Instantly, her surroundings became very dark as she stepped into the bathroom which had changed before her eyes. The bathtub was now against the wall to her right. The toilet stood in an opposite corner and the sink and counter were against the other wall facing the bathtub. The room was dark as though it were nighttime and the lights were off with the only illumination being caused by the moon as it shone through the lone window at the back wall. After studying it for a minute, she realized that it was a porthole. This was obviously a bathroom in a stateroom on a ship. A little girl was sitting on the toilet facing the wall. Quiet sobs could be heard from her. Melinda was just able to make out that she was drenched as though she had been in the bathtub fully clothed.

"Hello," Melinda said quietly. The child's head whipped around and she stared at her for a minute.

"Find him, find teddy," the girl said.

"Who's Teddy?" Melinda asked quietly, carefully approaching the girl.

"Find him," the girl said again and in an instant, she vanished. Melinda blinked and found herself standing in her own bathroom again, the light on and the faucet of the sink spilling water out like a waterfall. She hurried turned it off and left the room. She got back into bed wondering who Teddy was and why the girl wanted to find him. As much as she knew now, she was looking for a ship accident and a drowning child. Melinda knew the child had probably drowned but she had appeared in her bathroom so the fact that she had been on a ship may not be relevant. The child may have simply drowned in the bathtub while aboard a cruise ship. But if that was the case, how come she was fully dressed? Melinda didn't know but she was going to find out. This little girl needed her help and she was going to get to the bottom of this.


	2. The Computer Article

**Disclaimer: Remember I don't own Ghost Whisperer and I do not know Jennifer Love Hewitt so don't ask for her autograph.**

The next morning, Jim came down to find his wife typing away on her laptop. He sat down next to her on the couch. "Something wrong honey?" he asked. Melinda smiled and gave him a quick kiss befor going on with her search.

"No not really. I had another premonition last night." Jim raised his eyebrows.

"Really?" he said, "What happened?"

"It was a little girl. She led me into our bathroom. She died on a ship and she wants me to find a teddy. I don't have any idea what Teddy is. I don't know if it's a stuffed animal or a family member or anything. So, I've been looking it up on what little information I have to go on. So far, this is all I could find." She turned the computer so that Jim could read the screen. He leaned forward.

"Six year old's body found in remains of the Carlotta Cruise Ship." Jim turned and looked at her. Melinday nodded, indicating for him to go on. "Six year old Brooklyn Steinbeck's body was pulled from the wreckage of the Carlotta, a cruise ship that met her demise two days ago when she unfortunately collided with another ship. Many of the passengers made it off safefly but a few were never found. Brooklyn was one of those few and her body was discovered yesterday admidst the remains of one of the passenger bathrooms at the bottom of the ocean. Unfortunately, none of the other passengers have been found." Jim stopped and looked her again. "Well, I guess we know who your ghost is."

"Yeah," Melinda agreed. "But who is Teddy?" Jim shrugged.

"Did you read the whole story?" he asked scrolling down to see if there was anymore but found nothing. "Oh, I see, that was all that was there." Melinda nodded.

"I think that's just the beginning of the article. Somebody didn't want them to post the whole thing. Somebody doesn't want the world to find out something."

"But who? What?" Melinda just shook her head.

"I don't know Jim, but I have to find this article. I have to find out more. I can tell just by looking at it that it wasn't just a short little piece. This had to be front page news but somebody wants to keep the whole thing quiet." She turned off the laptop and shut it. "I'm going to the library, see if I can find this article in the archives. It should be there, it's only about two years old." Jim nodded and he gave her another kiss.

"Melinda honey, do be careful."

"I will Jim, I promise." She kissed him again, grabbed her coat, and headed out the door.

**A/N: Well, what do you think so far? I know I didn't put this in the first chapter and I should've but I forgot. I know the chapters are short but I really just can't see how to make chapters for a Ghost Whisperer story very long. This kind of thing is better down as a one-shot so the chapters probably won't be very long. I know it's not much like me seeing as my chapter are usually at least a thousand words long or more and sometimes a lot longer bur hey, I'm just working with how I feel. Please R&R.**


	3. Teddy Has to Know

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Whisperer and I don't know Jennifer Love Hewitt so don't ask for her autograph.**

Melinda arrived at the library ten minutes later, parked her car, and went inside. She headed immediately for the front desk because she didn't really have time to waste searching through the papers until she founded what she wanted. She had to go into the shop later because she didn't want to leave Delia running it all by herself.

"Can I help you with something miss?" the lady at the front desk said. Melinda smiled kindly.

"Um yes, I'm looking for a newspaper article from about two years ago. The headline should read 'Six Year Old's Body Found In Remains Of The Carlotta Cruise Ship'." The lady looked up at her for a moment. "Please, it's very important."

"You're very precise on what you want aren't you?" the lady asked kindly. "Alright, I'll see if I can find it for you and I'll bring it out for you to look at."

"Thank you very much."

"You're welcome." Melinda watched her walk off and sat down in a chair near the front desk. She turned her head around and saw all the small children sitting in the childrens's section listening to the children's librarian read them a story. Then her eyes narrowed. Sitting in the back staring directly at her, was the little girl. There were a few flashes and then the little girl was standing before her.

"Hello Brooklyn," Melinda said to the little girl, who was still dripping wet but seemed a little less dirty and it was now that Melinda noticed for the first time that there was a large gash in the child's head. The area was matted with blood. "Where did you get that gash Brooklyn?" she asked softly.

"How do you know my name?" the little girl asked, ignoring the question about the gash on her head.

"I read it in a newspaper article I found on line. Brooklyn, do you know that you're dead?"

"All I know is I need you to find Teddy. He has to know."

"What does Teddy have to know?" But at that point, the lady from the front desk was coming back and the little girl vanished.

"Here you are miss," she said, setting a newspaper down on the table in front of her. Melinda smiled at her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome dear."

As the lady walked away to return to her desk, Melinda looked down that the paper. It was indeed the article she had been looking for. She scanned through the first bit, the part that she had read on the internet. And then when she read the second paragraph, her eyes widened and she got up and left immediately, pulling out her cell phone as she went. She quickly dialed the number for Jim's phone.

"Hello?" Jim answered.

"Jim?" Melinda responded. "You're not going to believe this!"

**A/N: So, what do you think Melinda read in the paper? Tell you what, find out in the next chappie. Maybe I'll write that one tonight, if I feel like it but I don't know, I've already written these three. That might be enough for tonight. Besides, I've gotten addicted to watching clips of Annie the Musical Dutch production. I know I don't know Dutch but hey, I like it and I know the songs really well so I know what they're saying anyway. Okay, I'm gonna go get that Dutch Annie rush again and then I'll write the next chappie.**


	4. The Shock of the Two Articles

**Disclaimer: Now you know I don't own Ghost Whisperer and I do not know Jennifer Love Hewitt so please don't ask for her autograph.  
**

"What is it Melinda?" Jim asked, "What did you find out?" Melinda was hurrying down to her car as she spoke on the phone. At this point she got into the car and started for home.

"Well, first of all, I found the newspaper article I was looking for and it turns out I was right, it was major headline news. As for what I found out, well, it turns out Brooklyn Steinbeck was traveling with one TEDDY Steinbeck, her older brother. The police said he wouldn't give a statement. In fact, according to the article, after the accident, Teddy seemed to just up and disappear. It was weird."

"That does sound kind of strange. Anything else?"

"Yeah, Brooklyn showed up in the library."

"Oh? What did she want?"

"She told me that she wanted me to find Teddy and that he had to know."

"Had to know what?"

"That's the problem, I didn't find out. The lady at the front desk returned before Brooklyn could answer and she vanished. She didn't return after that but the article feels that Teddy may have had something to do with Brooklyn's death in the accident. They reckon that's why he disappeared because he didn't want anyone pressing charges."

"Well, that sounds reasonable enough. If I had anything to do with someone's death, I'd certainly take off and go into hiding. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. All I know is I have to find Teddy."

"Honey, you know how hard that might be?"

"I know Jim, I know but I have to do it, for Brooklyn's sake. If I don't find Teddy so that she can tell him whatever it is she thinks he has to know, she won't be able to cross over. I don't know what to do."

"Was there a picture of Teddy at all in the newspaper?"

"No, none."

"Than why don't you do a search for Teddy Steinbeck on your computer?"

"Jim, you're a genius! That's exactly what I'll do. Gotta go, love you, bye."

"Bye." Melinda hung up the phone and hurried to the shop where she found Delia inside helping a customer. After a friendly hello, Melinda went in the back, set up her laptop, and logged on. She typed in "Teddy Steinbeck" and then clicked search. To her surprise, the computer pulled up another article, one that was from a paper in another state.

"Man's Real Identity Found, Arrested For Suspected Murder," she read aloud. Melinda narrowed her eyes and started to read the article. "Teddy Steinbeck was arrested on his own confession today when he was found out at his home at 2133 Rosebush Dr. (A/N: I don't know if there really is a Rosebush Dr.), Malibu, California. He was living under the alias Barry Woreton. Teddy has been sent back to a small Grandview prison to await trial for the possible murder of his six year old sister, Brooklyn Steinbeck who's body was found in the remains of the Carlotta Cruise Ship a day after it sunk, about two years ago." Melinda sat back, staring at the article wide-eyed. "So that's it," she said, "He feels he's responsible for Brooklyn's death. That must be what she has to tell him, that it wasn't his fault. If he can get that through to the cops, he can be a free man, but he has to believe it himself first." Suddenly, a whole box of priceless antique clocks came falling off a shelf and Melinda, looked up to see what was going on.

**A/N: Sorry! I love cutting the chappies off at odd cliffhanging places. Guess you guys are lucky that I am updating this story so much. Otherwise, you'd be left wondering what was next just like all the stories I've started but never finished. The one that's furthest along is definitely the Winx Club story I wrote. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chappie. See you in chappie 5!**


	5. Delia's Useful Information

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Whisperer and I do not know Jennifer Love Hewitt so please don't ask for her autograph.**

Brooklyn was standing by the now smashed box of antique clocks. Her little hands were balled into fists and she looked quite angry. The spot where her head had the gash was a little less bloody and a bit smaller but she was still drenched. "They arrested him!" she shouted and Melinda looked taken aback. She had no idea the child could have such a temper. "They can't arrest him! He has to know! Get him out of that prison, get him out!" she shouted at Melinda and with a flash, she vanished again. At that moment, Delia entered the room.

"Is everything alright Melinda?" she asked. Melinda nodded as she went to pick up the broken clocks. "What just happened? How come those clocks are on the floor?" Melinda looked at her as she placed the box of broken clocks on the table.

"Brooklyn Steinbeck," was all she said. Delia looked confused for a moment.

"Brooklyn Steinbeck?" she asked. She thought a moment. "This Brooklyn Steinbeck isn't perhaps related to Teddy Steinbeck by any chance, is she?"

"You know Teddy Steinbeck?"

"Sure, I sold him a house a few years ago He had just graduated high school and wanted a place of his own so he wouldn't have to live in dorms at college. Seemed like quite a nice guy, why?"

"He's been arrested for the possible murder of Brooklyn. She was his little sister. She died and ship accident two years ago." Delia was very surprised to hear this.

"Teddy never mentioned anything about having a sister. I do recall that one time a woman with dark hair showed up at Teddy's doorstep with a little girl who looked the age of five. You see, I was just leaving at the time, having had made sure that Teddy was good and settled in the new house. The strange thing was, the dark haired woman didn't even look nearly old enough to be his mother. On the contrary, she looked much around his age. You know, now that I think about, Teddy looked like he was some years older than eightteen but he insisted that he was so I didn't press the subject."

"He didn't say anything about having a sister?" Delia shook her head. "That's strange. You said the little girl looked like she was five?" Delia nodded. "How many years ago was this, do you remember?"

"It was three, I'm sure of it. I never forget a sale. Anyway, he did leave the address of where he was living at the time he saw me about buying the house." She pulled a piece of paper and a pen off of Melinda's desk and wrote something down. "I'm sure this is it. Here," she said, handing the paper to Melinda, "You might benefit from your investigation if you go to this address."

"Thanks," Melinda said.

"No problem." Delia turned to walk away but then looked back at her. "This Brooklyn, by any chance, is she a new client of yours?" Melinda smiled.

"Yes, she is."

"Oh." Delia turned back around and left the backroom. Melinda looked down at the address and decided that she would go see about the people in the house later on that day. She didn't understand why Teddy didn't mention having a sister. She knew Delia liked to make friendly conversation with the people she sold houses too. Then there was this dark haired woman and the five year old girl whom, she was certain was Brooklyn Steinbeck.

**A/N: So here's chappie 5! I'm trying to draw this out a little bit because one of my reviewers thinks it's good but I'm going a little bit too fast. So, I'm doing something that makes all the information Melinda already has seem to simple to be the truth. What do you think is going to happen? Can't wait to hear your thoughts. I gotta go type up chappie 6, see you there!**


	6. Mrs Steinbeck Reveals the Truth

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Whisperer and I don't know Jennifer Love Hewitt so don't ask me for her autograph.**

Later that day, Melinda found herself heading up the walk to 785 Woodward Dr., the address Delia had given her. Her car was parked out in front and she was staring down at the paper in her hands. She casually approached the front door and rang the bell. A few moments later, an elderly womanly opened the door. "Hello, Mrs. Steinbeck?" Melinda said.

"Yes?" the woman responded. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Melinda Gordon. I'm working on your son's case from another point of view. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about Teddy?" The woman looked at her for a moment before smiling and ushering her into the house. "Thank you."

"Of course Miss. Gordon. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Oh, no thank you, I'm fine," Melinda replied as the two of them sat down on the couch in the living room.

"Now, you said you had some questions about Teddy?"

"Yes, actually, they deal about his sister Brooklyn."

"Brooklyn? Brooklyn Steinbeck? The little girl who died in that ship accident?"

"Yes. I was wondering if you could tell me about her?" The woman sighed.

"Who told you Brooklyn was his sister?"

"Well, I read it in the newspaper." The woman sighed again.

"The newspaper is wrong. Teddy didn't want anyone to know the truth. He didn't have a sister."

"He didn't?" The woman shook her head.

"No. Brooklyn was not Teddy's sister." She took a deep breath. "She was his daughter." Melinda's eyes went wide. "Teddy didn't want anyone to know because he had her at very young age. He and his girlfriend Amanda weren't careful and he got her pregnant when he was only seventeen. Teddy couldn't stand the idea of what people would think of him so he told them all that Brooklyn was his little sister on his father's side. You see, Teddy's father and I got divorced not long after Teddy started high school. His father never re-married but he did have an affair which happened around the time that Brooklyn was born so telling people that she was his little sister seemed to fit into place. Reguardless of the circumstances of how she was born, Teddy loved his daughter and he didn't want to give her up. When he heard that they had pulled her body from that ship wreckage, he panicked and took off. I haven't heard from him since."

"Mrs. Steinbeck, have you read the paper lately?"

"Oh no, ever since I read about my granddaughter's body being found, I haven't been able to touch the news. Why? Is something wrong?" Melinda took a deep breath.

"You son's in a prison here in Grandview now. He recently confessed for being responsible for Brooklyn's death."

**A/N: So, how do you think Mrs. Steinbeck will react? All in good time, all in good time. You'll see in the next chappie. Yea! Six chappies up in two days! I'm on a roll! Go me, go me! Hehehe. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chappie as well. See you all in chappie 7.**


	7. One Last Goodbye

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Whisperer, nor do I know Jennifer Love Hewitt so don't ask for her autograph.**

Mrs. Steinbeck looked very taken aback at the sudden news. It was clear to Melinda that she never thought that Teddy would do anything to hurt his daughter and she could see that the woman was as much surprised at hearing her son confessed to being responsible for Brooklyn's death as she was at hearing that Brooklyn was not Teddy's sister but in fact his daughter.

"Are you alright, Mrs. Steinbeck?" Melinda asked the woman quietly. The woman put a hand to her chest.

"I don't believe it, are you sure?" Melinda just nodded. "I won't believe this, Teddy would never hurt his daughter, at least not intentionally."

"Than perhaps it was an accident. I'm thinking that when Teddy heard about Brooklyn's body being pulled from the wreckage, he was afraid of what he had caused to happen and so he went into hiding so no one would find him out. Now, I think he can't come to terms with what happened and he can't live with himself for causing his daughter's death so he confessed." There was a flashing sound and Melinda looked passed Mrs. Steinbeck. Brooklyn was sitting on the woman's other side. She was much dryer, though still wet and the gash in her head had almost receded to nothing. Melinda knew she was getting close to when the child would finally be able to cross over. They always became pure and clean again when it was that time. "Oh my God," she said quietly.

"What, what is it?" the woman asked in a worried tone.

"She's here," Melinda responded, just as quietly.

"Who's here?"

"Brooklyn." The woman looked at Melinda for a moment as though she were crazy and Melinda didn't blame her, people always had that reaction to her if she showed in someway that she could make contact with spirits. The woman glanced around the room as though looking for the child and then looked back at Melinda, her face set.

"Miss, my granddaughter is dead and you have the nerve to play foolish jokes like this!" She stood up and pointed toward the door. "Get out of my house!"

"It's not a joke," Melinda said quietly, standing up.

"Tell her," she heard Brooklyn say.

"Tell her what?" Melinda asked, looking at the child who was still sitting on the couch.

"I beg your pardon?!" Mrs. Steinbeck shouted. She marched over to the door, pulled it open, and pointed outside. "I told you to get out, you crazy woman!"

"Tell her that I still have the locket she gave me on my sixth birthday." Melinda looked at the woman who was fuming, her face red with anger.

"She says to tell she still has the locket." The woman dropped her arm and her face softened. She did not look angry anymore, instead, she appearly merely surprised.

"How did you know I gave Brooklyn a locket?" she asked in a surpisingly calm voice.

"I told you Mrs. Steinbeck, she's here. Brooklyn's spirit is here. She's sitting right there on the couch."

"Tell her I love her very much and I don't want her to be mad at you," Brooklyn said.

"She says she loves you and not to be mad at me," Melinda told the woman. Tears were now former in the older woman's eyes.

"I love you too Brooklyn," she said, staring at the couch. Then she looked back at Melinda. "Tell her that for me."

"She knows," Melinda replied. "She can hear you."

"Tell her I said I'll see her soon, I'll see her when she gets to the light."

"She says she'll see you when it's your time." At this the woman cried even harder and nodded her head slightly.

"We have to go now, we have to tell Teddy."

"Tell Teddy what?" Melinda asked but Brooklyn just smiled and vanished. Melinda turned back to Brooklyn's grandmother. "Thank you for your time Mrs. Steinbeck but I have to be going. Brooklyn has a message she wants me to deliver to Teddy and I still am not sure what it is. The only inkling I have is that she wants him to know that her death wasn't his fault." Mrs. Steinbeck wiped her eyes, smiled and nodded. Then she walked Melinda to the door.

"Thank you," she said, "For letting me talk to my granddaughter one last time."

"You're welcome Mrs. Steinbeck," Melinda told her and she headed out the door down to her car.

**A/N: Sorry it took a few days to update with chappie 7, I was busy with some other stuff but here it is. I will try and get chappie 8 up as soon as I can. The earliest will probably be later tonight but I don't know yet. I am actually determined to finish this story. Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chappie too. Remember to R&R. See you in chappie 8!**


	8. Talking to Teddy and Crossing Over

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Whisperer, nor do I know Jennifer Love Hewitt so please don't ask for her autograph.**

Melinda wondered to herself how Teddy was going to take all this as she drove to the police station. She didn't know if the police would allow her to see him but she had to try, at least for Brooklyn's sake. She sighed heavily as she rounded a corner and turned into the guest parking lot of the Grandview Police Department. Turning off the engine, Melinda just sat there, not sure what she should do. If anything, this was probably going to be the last stop of this whole mystery.

"It's alright," said a voice. Melinda turned to see Brooklyn sitting in the passenger's seat. She was no longer drenched in water and the gash in her head was completely gone. That was how Melinda knew that she would be able to cross over soon. She no longer seemed to be suffering from the cause of her death. Brooklyn smiled up at her. "It's alright Melinda. Everything is going to work out just fine, trust me." Melinda didn't know why but she did trust the little girl.

"I trust you Brooklyn," she said softly. Brooklyn smiled at her again and in the blink of an eye, she had vanished. But Melinda knew that that wasn't the last she was going to see of her just yet. It was probable that Brooklyn would show up when she was talking to Teddy. The spirits always did show up when she finally met with the person they needed to see more than anything else.

Smiling to herself, Melinda got out of the car and headed into the police station.

"May I help you?" the officer at the front desk asked as Melinda approached.

"Um, yes, I'm looking for a man who was brought in last night on charges of murder upon his own confession. His name is Teddy Steinbeck. I was wondering if I might be able to speak with him for a few minutes?" The officer raised her eyebrows momentarily before smiling.

"Are you a friend of Teddy's?" she asked.

"Well no, not really. I used to work at the school his daughter attended. I was an aid in her class," Melinda replied. She hated lying to people, especially the police but she had a feeling that the officer wouldn't let her in to see Teddy unless she had some sort of connection to him.

"I see," was all the officer said. She looked down at a notebook, apparently looking over some things. "Very well, I will let you see him but take no more than fifthteen minutes."

"I understand," Melinda replied. The officer came out from behind the desk and led her back to the cells where she walked along a row until she came to the very last cell.

"Here we are," the officer said. She turned to face the cell and said, "You have a visitor Teddy," and then she walked off.

The man in the cell looked up. He was still quite young of course, having had been made a father at the age of seventeen. If Brooklyn were alive today, she would be eight which would place Teddy Steinbeck at about the age of twenty-five. Melinda could see the resemblance to Brooklyn in the man. She looked very much like her father. "Who are you?" the man asked. It was not a demanding question but a calm, quiet, sad question as though he were in a state of the deepest depression.

"Teddy Steinbeck?" The man nodded. "I'm Melinda Gordon. I know it may be hard for you but I came here to talk to you about your daughter's death. Why do you think it's your fault?" Tears leaked from the man's eyes.

"Because it is my fault," he said through his tears. "But you have to believe me, I didn't know she had been knocked unconscious."

"If you didn't know about the gash in her head, than how is it your fault?" Melinda asked him.

"I didn't go back for her. I didn't go to check on her like I should have," he replied, tears still streaming down his face. "When I heard the ship was going to sink, all I could think about was getting myself off. I completely forgot all about Brooklyn. I forgot she was taking a bath. I think I may have been a little drunk. I know I would never have forgotten about her if I had been sober, let alone, I would never have failed to hear the thud when she bashed her head. It's all my fault, I'm such a terrible father. I deserve to pay for what I did Brooklyn."

"Teddy, Brooklyn doesn't think it's you fault." The man stopped crying for a moment and looked up at her with the oddest of expressions.

"How do you know what she thinks? Brooklyn's dead," he said in a voice that was quiet but harsh all the same. Melinda sighed.

"Teddy, the reason I'm here is because I can see spirits. I help them to cross over. I can see your daughter and she wants you to know that she doesn't think it's your fault." The man continued to stare at her as Melinda watched Brooklyn fade into view just behind him. The girl wrapped her small arms around her father and he froze, a look of surprise on his face. "She's here right now," Melinda said.

"She is?"

"Yes. She's hugging you. Can you feel it." The man nodded, tears starting to stream from his eyes again.

"Brooklyn, if you can hear me sweetheart, I'm so sorry, I never meant to hurt you."

"Tell him I forgive him and I don't want him to cry for me anymore, I want him to move on and be happy. He needs to be there for mommy."

"She says she forgives and she doesn't want you to cry anymore. She says you need to be there for her mother." The man sniffed and wiped his hand across his eyes, intending to wipe away the tears.

"Tell her, tell her I said, I love her," he said.

"She can hear you."

"Tell daddy I love him and when it's his time to go, I'll be waiting for him."

"She loves you and she'll be waiting for you." The man smiled.

"I'll be ready to see you when it's time."

Melinda watched as Brooklyn smiled and her eyes lit up. "Is that the light?" Melinda nodded. "It's so beautiful." Melinda watched the little girl as she walked forward and then vanished.

"She's gone now. She moved on to a better place," she told Teddy. "It's alright, she's happy now."

"I know," Teddy said, wiping more tears away. "I can't wait to see her again but I promise I will be there for her mother." He looked at her for a moment. "Thank you, for helping my daughter and for helping me."

"You're welcome Teddy." At that moment, the officer came back in and told Melinda her time was up. She said one last good-by to Teddy and left the police station.

**A/N: And so I sadly bring this story to a close. It would've been longer if I could have managed it but it was already difficult to draw it out this for. And seeing as Brooklyn was going to speak to her father in this chappie, I saw no means necessary for it to extend any further because that's what Brooklyn wanted so that she could cross over. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you again when I can.**


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